H ay-rack



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. A. SWAN.

H-AY RAUL No. 486,978. ratemed-mmz ,1892,

(Nb Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

L. A. SWAN.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LYMAN A. SYVAN, OF FREEMAN, NElV YORK.

HAY-RAG K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,978, dated November 29, 1892.

Application filed July 26, 1892. Serial No. 441,279. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LYMAN A. SWAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Freeman, in the county of Steuben and State of. New York, have invented a new and useful Hay- Rack, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in hay-racks.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction shownrin Letters Patent No. 263,501, dated August 29, 1882, and granted to E. Fleck.

A further object of the invention is to provide for lateral adjustment of the hay-rack, as it has been found by experience that a lateral adjustment of several inches will enable a rack to be applied to the majority of wagons in use by farmers.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hay-rack constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a reverse plan view. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawm s.

I designates bolster-blocks, which are secured to bed-pieces 2 and are adapted to be supported upon the bolsters of a runninggear and provided in their outer faces with vertical standard-receiving grooves 3. The bed-pieces 2 are adj ustably secured to main stay-pieces 4t and are adapted to be separated longitudinally to enable the front and rear sections 5 and 6 to be adjusted to the length of a running-gear. The front section 5 consists of cross-bars 7, which are secured to the front bed-pieces, and slats 8, arranged at the ends of the cross-pieces 7 and forming the wings of the rack. The rear section is composed of cross-bars 7 and wheel-bows 9, designed to form an arch over the rear wheels of a running-gearin the usual manner. The

cross-pieces are secured to the bed-pieces by angular clips 10, which receive the main staypieces and permit the longitudinal adj ustment. It has been found by experience that the lengths of the bolster of running-gears owned by farmers vary a few inches in length in the majority of cases, and as hay-racks are constructed separate and so sold it is especially desirable and advantageous to provide for lateral adjustment, so that a hay-rack may be arranged to suit any of the Wagon-bolsters in use. In order to accomplish this, each clip 10 is made angular and consists of a vertical portion, a horizontal portion ll,arranged beneath the adjacent bed and beneath the main stay, and an upper horizontal portion 12, which is provided with a longitudinal slot 13 andis adjustably secured to the adjacent cross-piece by a bolt 14, arranged within the slot. Each cross-piece is provided near each end with a longitudinal slot 15, in which is arranged a bolt 16, which passes through the adjacent bed-piece and secures the lower horizontal portion of the clip thereto. The slots of the clips and the cross-pieces enable the bedpieces and main stay-pieces to be moved outward or inward to suit the bolsters of a running-gear. The front and rear swinging uprights 17 and 18 are journaled on the lower edges of the bed-pieces'and are provided with journals of sufficient length to permit the lateral adjustment of the rack without withdrawing the journals from their. bearings. The bolster-blocks are of sufficient thickness to extend beneath and support the main staypieces. The wings or sides of the sections of the rack are adjustably connected together similar to the construction shown in the patent above referred to. The lateral adjustment of the running-gear not only facilitates the attachment of the rack to a running-gear, but also enables the rack to be readily mounted on a sled provided with bolsters.

What I claim is 1. In a hay-rack, the combination of the main stay-pieces, the front and rear rack-sections having bed-pieces arranged adjacent to the main stay-pieces and provided with crosspieces, and clips adjustably securing the bedpieces and the main stay-pieces together and adjustably secured to the cross-pieces, whereby the rack is made laterally adjustable, substantially as described.

2. In a hay-rack, the combination of the main stay-pieces, the front and rear rack-sections having bed-pieces and having crosspieces provided with longitudinal slots, the to the bed-pieces and adjustably connecting angular clips having a lower horizontal porthe latter to the cross-pieces, substantially as tion arranged on the lower edges of the bed and for the purpose described.

and main stay-pieces and having an upper In testimony that I claim the foregoing as horizontal portion arranged on the lower faces my own I have hereto affixed my signature in I 5 of the cross-pieces and provided with a longithe presence of two Witnesses.

tudinal slot, and bolts passing through the LYMAN A. SWAN. slots of the cross-pieces and the clips andse- -Witnesses: curing the upper horizontal portions to the F. L. SPRAGUE,

1o cross-pieces and the lower horizontal portions CHARLES H. ROWLEY. 

